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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24502150">Time Only Heals If We Work Through It Now</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/alywrites/pseuds/alywrites'>alywrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Just say you won't let go [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Almost all happy feels, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Don't Like Don't Read, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Humor, I highly recommend reading that first to understand this, Minor Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, R Plus L Does Not Equal J, Rating May Change, Tags May Change, You might be a bit lost/confused here otherwise, chapter four is NOT an actual chapter, chapter total may change, just an author's note, mentions from first fic, sequel to "The Bet"</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:00:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24502150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/alywrites/pseuds/alywrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jon and Daenerys’ love have been through a lot over the years. Eight years after the infamous bet that ruined their relationship, they’re finally giving each other a second chance, desperately hoping that this is finally their time. </p><p>-:- Sequel to "The Bet" -:-</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Just say you won't let go [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1755043</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>158</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. This is our time, my love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome back or Hello! We're back with this series with an all new sequel! Just a few pointers:</p><p>- even if this is a sequel/part 2 to “The Bet”, it will have kind of a different tone or “atmosphere” to it than the first one, which is a lot lighter and less angsty. </p><p>- also, in case some irrelevant user/guest decides to shit on this fic, just know I absolutely did not have to write this sequel and you absolutely did/do not have to read it.This fic will have little angst, nowhere near as sad as its predecessor. I know i said i never meant for a sequel for the first part of this series, but i did have oneshots in mind that I knew i wanted to do. But i decided to do a mini sequel instead</p><p>- when i said this is mostly all fluffy and romantic feels, i’m not kidding.</p><p>- I changed my username to alywrites but I was previously silverdragon07; still the same author here, just wanted to include a short part of my name Aly, feel free to call me by that if you wish :)</p><p>Anyways, I present to you the sequel :) hope you like it!</p><p>(if you have not read the first part, I really do recommend reading that first because there will be many references to stuff that happened there, and it really sets up the whole plot for this one, so go check that out if you haven't already :))</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dany was very close to strangling something. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Or, more specifically, </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Like the wedding planner that Daario had hired, for one. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d been getting calls, texts, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>emails from the planner since this morning when she woke up for work (which was around six a.m.), and it was now around 2:30 in the afternoon. After what felt like the hundredth time, she eventually turned her phone off. All she wanted to do was work and do her job without being interrupted so much, but alas, it seemed she couldn’t even do that. A part of her wanted to scream at Daario for leaving her to sort out the mess that came with a cancelled wedding. Though, perhaps she did kind of deserve it, but that wasn’t the point. She just wished she could stop being bothered so much. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The planner had asked her all sorts of questions, such as when was she able to pay off the bill fully, when was she able to sit down and talk about item returns, refunds, and all that bullshit. The planner even had the gall to ask her if she was sure she wanted to cancel the event, or she just wanted to schedule. They had definitely been on the receiving end of her practically yelling at them for poking through matters that were none of their business and for even asking her. What the hell kind of question was that anyways? Of course she wanted it cancelled!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany gave up trying to work for a minute, throwing her head back and leaned on her chair as she sighed out dramatically. She winced when she remembered this was the chair that Daario bought for her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll have to get rid of it at some point.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She sat up again, rubbing her hands over her face. She just wanted to go home and get some rest. Perhaps even call–</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The door knocked, interrupting her thoughts. It opened to reveal Doreah, who smiled at her like some cheshire cat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Dany, </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> here to see you.” She even winked, which had her worried. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Exasperated, Dany sighed. “Let them in.” Gods, did she completely forget she had a meeting today? She couldn’t remember scheduling an appointment with a client recently. Without looking up and assuming Doreah was still there, Dany asked her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Doreah, do I have a client scheduled today?” Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to look through her desk for a paper that said anything about that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She heard the door click close, then “Nope. Not a client, just me.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Dany looked up quickly, her heart beating quickly and a smile already on her face as she saw who it was. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jon!” She bit her lip, standing up from her desk to hug him. In his hands were a bouquet of blue winter roses and a plastic bag. Regardless of having full hands, he opened his arms, and she quickly wrapped herself around him, letting herself forget about all her worries even for just a quick second. He returned the sentiment. And she felt him bury his nose in her hair and swore he even placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, which caused her to bite her lip from smiling too wide like an idiot. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When she finally pulled away from him, she nodded her head towards the stuff he was holding. “What’re those for?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at them, holding them up for emphasis. “Oh, these? The flowers were for the secretary at the front, but she wasn’t there, and the lunch is for me to eat while I watch you work.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She blankly stared at him, trying her best not to start cracking up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He faltered as well, shaking his head and smiling. “You know I’m kidding. These- uh, these are for you,” he held out the flowers, which she took, getting a good whiff at them and enjoying their sweet smile. She smiled, and stood on her tip-toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you.” She didn’t know what she did exactly that was good enough to earn her a boyfriend as sweet as him. But maybe she only </span>
  <em>
    <span>kind of</span>
  </em>
  <span> deserved it after everything they went through. Both of them did. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled at her, then brought up the plastic bag. “I got us some lunch to eat too.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She frowned at it. “You didn’t eat?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Nope,” he answered, popping out the ‘p’. “We agreed to eat together for lunch today, remember?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany looked at him then, frowning as she tried to remember what he was talking about. Suddenly, her memory of last night came to the forefront of her mind, and her shoulders slumped. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t believe I forgot!</span>
  </em>
  <span> They had been calling each other last night and made plans to have some lunch outside together. She looked at him apologetically, feeling horrible. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry. I completely forgot. I just got so busy and stressed and…” she trailed off, not even bothering to finish her excuse. But thankfully, he understood. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be sorry. I was trying to call you but you didn’t answer so I figured you haven’t eaten yet and decided to come here. I don’t have a meeting ‘till later so I can stay for a bit.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany bit her lip once again to force herself not to try and reach up to kiss him silly for his incredible sweetness and for remembering that she had turned her phone off because of the amount of missed calls she was getting. She didn’t think Jon would have been one of them. Instead, she smiled again as he made his way to one of the open chairs in front of her desk. She sat on the other chair next to him, not bothering to go to her actual rolling chair, and placed the flowers carefully on her desk while he took out their lunch. It was a salad for her and a burger for him from one of the fast food places just around the block of her office’s building. Her stomach growled just as he handed her her food, and he gave her smirk, causing her to blush. She didn’t realize how hungry she’d been with all the stress weighing her down lately. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They ate in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds in her office being the crunching and chewing noises of them eating and the noises coming from outside the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, the silence was brought to a close when Jon was about done with the burger. “So, how’s the cancelling stuff going?” He asked her, referring to the very thing she’d been stressing about just before he came. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s… going,” she laughed at herself for her own weak answer. “I don’t know. It’s just a lot going on right now. The planner he hired is absolute shit at their job so that doesn’t really make things any better.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He frowned. “You want me to go talk to them?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No. Thank you, but you don’t have to do that. I can manage on my own.” The kind gesture did not lose its effect on her however. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you do need anything tell me. I’ll do it,” he told her with all seriousness, and she raised an eyebrow as she wondered to herself just how far he meant by that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I could use a back rub,” she said suggestively, then stared off and pretended to think about where she would get one. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you wanna come over later and watch a movie, I might just be able to grant that wish.” He smirked, leaning towards her. Suddenly, Dany wanted to forget she was even at work and was at his place instead. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose you want something in return for that then?” She gave him a sly smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just one thing.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany didn’t even have to guess exactly what it was as she leaned in without hesitation and hoped to whatever gods there were that she didn’t have any lettuce in her mouth as their lips closed over each other. She blindedly placed her salad bowl on her desk and hoped it wouldn’t be knocked over as she moved closer to him, never once breaking contact. Her hands had found their way into his hair, her eyebrows furrowing into the kiss as she tried to pull out the hair tie he used to tie his hair back. Gods, she should make it a rule for him to never tie his hair back when he was with her. She felt his hand go to her waist to bring her closer, as they were currently leaning over their chairs. Just as she was about to settle her weight over him, he pulled away, leaving them both panting for more air. He looked into her eyes, confusion apparent in his own as he seemed to ask her a silent question. It took her a second to understand what exactly he was trying to convey to her as her mind felt a bit foggy. When it finally cleared, she understood, and immediately blushed at what she was sure was a deep red color and settled back into her own chair. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She couldn’t believe she had allowed herself to get carried away like that. When they had first started dating officially again a couple weeks ago, they had agreed to take things relatively slow for now. Or, more like </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dany </span>
  </em>
  <span>had been the one to suggest it, while Jon had been the absolute trooper and accepted it. She was just afraid to make the same mistake as she had with Daario. She knew if this second chance relationship with Jon failed, dating would forever be out of her boundaries. She just wanted things to go right this time, and would do whatever it takes to make sure it does. They hadn’t done too much outside of exchanging a few sweet, chaste kisses, going to the others place for lunch or dinner and a couple dates here and there. Their schedules have been especially busy lately, with Dany dealing with the cancellation and her job and Jon having to adjust to a new, joint company with the Tyrell’s. But they’ve been doing the best they could as of late. She figured it had been all the stress that caused her to forget some of the set boundaries. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry,” she mumbled, slightly embarrassed she had let herself be carried away like that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t need to apologize. You know I’d do anything as long as you wanted to. I just didn’t want you to do something you didn’t actually want to.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>His eyes were nothing but kind and accepting as he took hold of her hand. Every single time Dany thinks she couldn’t love him enough, he always proves her wrong. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you,” she tells him, because that was never something she disallowed. If they loved each other, why not just say it?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you.” He smiles and leans in one more time, kissing her lips with his own, though he keeps it short. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They continue talking, and Dany doesn’t realize what time it is until Jon pulls his phone out to check the time, cursing softly to himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I gotta get going, Dany,” he tells her, a small frown worrying at his face. He stands up, and she does as well, wanting to see him out the door. He helps her throw their trash away, and once they’re done, they stand at her door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So… are you able to come over later?” He asks her, and she stops herself from chuckling at how shyly he sounds. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I should be able to. I’ll text you when I’m done here.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They share one more kiss before Dany opens the door, smiling as they waved ‘bye’ at each other and he disappeared down the hall. She just barely manages to catch herself before anyone else can see her acting like a young school girl wistfully watching her love walk away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once he’s gone, she closes the door, and slowly walks to her desk. She smells the flowers one more time, knowing she’ll have to take a short trip home first to put them in a vase and get a change of clothes before going to his place. With one more deep breath in and out, Dany mentally braces herself to keep working until she’s finally off. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>However, just five minutes later, she hears a knock on her door, and it opens to reveal a smirking Doreah, who invites herself in and sits across from her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“May I help you?” Dany asks her, a small smile playing on her lips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I don’t know. I was just wondering about a couple things, that’s all. Namely, what were you and that hot northern guy doing here exactly? He’s the same one from that one meeting, wasn’t he? Anyways, I just couldn’t help but notice how his hair was </span>
  <em>
    <span>significantly</span>
  </em>
  <span> messier than it was when he walked in. Oh, and would you look at that,” Doreah says, her eyes landing on the flowers that Jon had brought in. “He got you flowers too?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’re you trying to say, Doreah?” Dany asks. As much as she knew she needed to get back to work, she was quite amused at what the girl had to say. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is he still single? Because I don’t know whether I could handle seeing him walk into the building one more time without jumping him.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany immediately frowned at that, all amusement flying out the window. “No, he’s not single. He’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>boyfriend.” She told her pointedly, putting heavy emphasis on the word ‘my’ just to make sure her point got across very clearly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Doreah’s jaw seemed to drop all the way to the ground as she stared at Dany with wide eyes. “You’re joking,” she said, though it came out as a horrified whisper. Dany shook her head, making sure she was completely serious. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Doreah sputtered. “Wh–how? Why? When? Wait– what happened to Daario?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was then that Dany knew Doreah had zero idea what happened the past few weeks. Though she was slightly suspicious of the girl after her suggestive comment about ‘jumping’ Jon, Dany filled her in on the past weeks’ latest events. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Doreah’s mouth hung agape once again when Dany finished telling her all the news. “Oh. My. Gods! I can’t believe I’m just finding out about this now! Wait, hold on– so you’re saying Daario is single now?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Dany scoffed, rolling her eyes as she knew exactly what she was suggesting . “He’s moving back to Meereen but go ahead if you want to.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, you already took the sexy northerner for yourself. I need </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany shot her another pointed glare, though secretly she agreed with her. “Can you please stop calling him that?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What? He is though!” Doreah defended. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Get back to work,” Dany told her firmly, leaving no room for anymore discussion. Doreah hurried to the door as quickly as she could while in heels, but just before she left, she turned back to her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am happy for you though, Dany,” was all she said before closing the door behind her, leaving Dany by herself. But she smiled to herself though, and couldn’t help but agree with her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m happy for me too.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After miraculously surviving through the rest of her work day, Dany felt an immense amount of relief fill her as she packed away her laptop and any necessary items she’ll need later. Last was the bouquet of flowers from Jon. Once she has everything, she leaves her office, ignoring the looks from others curiously watching her walk away with blue winter roses in her hand. She only keeps her head up high and smiles to herself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany makes it back to her apartment, where she quickly changes out of her clothes and puts the flowers in a vase. She puts the vase alongside the other flower vases that had been filled with bouquets that Jon had gifted to her. No matter how many times she tells him she doesn’t need or expect gifts from him, he insists on doing so. It touched her heart too as she remembered how he’d gifted her the same type of flowers as he had when he’d first asked her to be his girlfriend back in high school. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It never failed to make her feel so giddy and excited whenever she thought about their new relationship. It had started off quite slow and unsure at first. They had their first date somewhere simple, in a small cafe a few days after the wedding had been cancelled. They discussed how exactly they wanted to take their relationship and what direction they wanted to take it in. It was where Dany pitched in that they should go slow for the time being. They also knew that this was a relationship that they wanted to take for the long term and had made it clear from the very beginning this was not going to be a casual fling of any sorts. If the ‘invisible’ pining after eight years had something to say about it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After she had gotten ready with her casual attire, a pair of black leggings and a light cashmere sweater, Dany was ready to go. It wasn’t too long of a drive to Jon’s place, and soon she found herself in his parking lot. His condo complex was a mix between that of a modest and luxurious one. The last time she’d been in his condo, she wasn’t able to get that good of a look around the place. Now, she was finally back again and she hoped it would turn out better than the last time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Raising a fist, she knocked gently on his door three times and waited. She didn’t wait long, for a few seconds later, the door opened, revealing a smiling Jon. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dany!” He excitedly said, opening the door wide open and embracing her, which she returned gratefully. Once she got inside, she was greeted by a very excited Ghost, whose tail wagged about just as fast as a helicopter’s wings. Dany smiled widely as she bent down to pet his head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi Ghost! Oh my gods, I know, it’s been so long since I saw you! I’m so happy to see you again! You’re such a good boy,” Dany cooed to the dog, who beamed under the appraisal and continued wagging his tail and trying to lick her face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m very happy to see you too,” she heard Jon say behind her, one corner of his lips turned up. Dany gave one last pet to Ghost before standing up to give her boyfriend some attention as well. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know I’m happy to see you,” she gave him a knowing smile then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply before pulling away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm, I don’t know. Kinda sounds like you’re using me just to see Ghost now,” he said when they pulled away, a small smile tugging at his lips. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>entirely,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Dany jokes, earning her one of his charming smiles as he threw his head back to chuckle. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, in that case, I’m not sure if I should offer you some dinner or not.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany perked up at that, pulling away from him to look excitedly at his kitchen. “You have food?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jon chuckled once again, pulling her by the hand to his kitchen. “I wasn’t exactly sure what you wanted or if you were even hungry, so it’s just a light one.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He handed her a bowl of pasta from his refrigerator, which Dany took, dismissing his worries. “It’s okay. I could use some pasta right now anyways.” She happily takes the fork he’s holding out for her and starts eating, while he stands across the counter watching her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So how was your rest of the day? Planner still bother you?” Jon inquired. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She shook her head, swallowing before she answered. “No, thankfully not. Though I’m sure they’ll be asking again soon.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well in that case, best shut your phone off for now.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Dany nodded, agreeing with him as she continued eating. Jon left his place in front of her to serve Ghost his food as well, retrieving it from a place in one of his bottom cabinets. From her place on the other side of his island, Dany could smell and see some parts of potatoes and beef in the dog food, and she rolled her eyes playfully to herself. So she </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> right, that Ghost most likely </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> eat better than Jon on most days. He stepped back, allowing his dog to eat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Soon enough, she was done eating, and once they had cleaned up the kitchen together, they settled down together on his couch as Jon randomly switched through different movies on Netflix until he found a good one. Eventually they found one, and they sat back together, sitting up, with Dany resting her head on his shoulder and Jon’s arm around her. She turned her phone off just as they both agreed on, but she didn’t pay much attention to the movie as she did her own thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany smiled to herself as she thought about their time together the past couple weeks, and it was not for the first, nor third time. Everything felt both so different and yet almost exactly the same at once. The same in the sense that she remembered fondly their time in high school where they had been like this, but different because of… well, everything. They were older now, maybe not too much older, but they were definitely old enough to make much more wiser and mature decisions, especially regarding their relationship. It never failed to put a smile on her face each time she thought about him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Just several weeks ago, they had been close to never seeing each other again, and Dany had been close to marrying an entirely different man that she couldn’t truly love. It scared her sometimes to think about the what ifs, as it always did. What if she hadn’t listened to herself? It would have meant that Jon would’ve walked away, and they wouldn’t be here now. They weren’t that far in their relationship as of yet, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>gods</span>
  </em>
  <span> did it already mean so much to her. To finally be able to be back with Jon had felt as if her heart had found its other half, as cheesy as it sounded. She didn’t have to force herself to feel anything for him. Everything she felt, it all happened on its own. She loved him not because she had to tell herself that he should be the right one, but because no matter where they were or what was happening, she was happy with him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it was a bit early to assume such things. But she couldn’t help it. For once, Dany was confident that she and Jon would be okay. All she could do was hope that he felt the same. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Beside her, she felt him move, his arm around her retracting back. “Sorry, I forgot. You still want that back rub?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Dany smiled, touched at his thoughtfulness. “Oh, no, you don’t have to.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>However, he shook his head. “No, it’s okay. Here, turn around and sit right here and I’ll do it.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They had moved on the couch as Jon spread his legs, meaning for her to sit between them so that he could get a better angle on her entire back while still being able to watch the movie. Dany looked uncertain for a bit, not sure if it was imposing of herself or it would make things awkward, but he gave her a comforting smile that convinced her enough to take a seat. Once seated, he settled his two hands on either sides of the space between the end of her shoulder and the end of her neck, using his thumbs to alleviate the pressure points that were both painful and relieving at once. Dany sighed, closing her eyes for a bit as she relished in his touch. She winced slightly as he massaged a knot somewhere in the same area, but recovered, relaxing once more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How was work?” She asked him, remembering that she had forgotten to ask earlier. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Behind her, Jon hummed. “It was okay. Thorne was a pain in the ass again.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany gave a small frown even though he couldn’t see it, some air blowing out of her nose. Recently, Jon had been running into troubles with one of the sales managers of his company, some man named Alliser Thorne. The man had been promoted recently to manager of the sales team, and for some reason, he thought it made him just as good as the CEO of the actual company. He had been contesting Jon lately, refusing to follow instructions given to him because he believed that Robb was the true and only CEO of the company, since they were now joint with the Tyrells, something that never failed to make Jon angry. He had been so close to firing the man, but Robb had talked him out of it, saying that despite his rebellious and cocky nature, Thorne was very good at his job. After hearing that, Dany was quite thankful that most of her office’s firm employees were friendly with each other. She supposes that due to the size of the Stark-Tyrell business, they were bound to get some interesting people working for them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany flinched away from Jon’s touch and sat up, a small gasp escaping her lips as he happened to press on an especially painful point. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit- I’m sorry. Did that hurt a lot?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Dany nodded, swallowing before sitting back down in her spot. He made sure to be especially careful this time around in the specific area, not pressing down quite as hard. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At some point, Ghost had finished his food and decided to join them on the couch, jumping up and cuddling himself right next to Jon, but forced his head on Dany’s lap, causing both of them to laugh. Jon eventually slowed and stopped his ministrations on her back, and Dany moved once again to sit on his other side, as Ghost had taken her spot. However, the silly dog decided to crawl over Jon’s lap and settle himself over the both of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Jon shook his head, clicking his tongue at his dog’s actions. “Silly dog,” he whispered, but nevertheless, he pet him slowly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As she rests her head on his shoulder once again, Dany lets out a content sigh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This</span>
  </em>
  <span> felt right. It felt, in a way, so much more different than her previous relationship. There were no forced feelings of trying to be happy and grateful that someone actually loved her or any false senses of happiness. Things were just as they should be. So maybe she and Jon had a rocky history. But the only thing that matters is that they had so much more good memories than bad, and Dany intended to make even more happy ones with him. And as Jon puts his arm around her again and Ghost lets out a content sigh, just as she did, Dany smiles. Perhaps the </span>
  <em>
    <span>three</span>
  </em>
  <span> of them will make more happy memories. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I thank the oceans for giving me you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jon surprises Dany with tickets to Winterfell's carnival</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you’re a guest that actually has good things to say, I’m sincerely very sorry if the commenting eventually gets turned off for you guys because some mindless assholes thought their opinions were important. And the negative guests? You guys can kindly fuck off, you’re hurting no one but yourselves.</p><p> </p><p>sorry for misspellings/grammar mistakes</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jon knocks twice on her door and steps back, waiting for her to answer. A few moments later, the door opens, revealing Dany, still beautiful, dressed and ready for what he has planned. They greet each other with a sweet kiss, before Dany pulls away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, are you ever going to tell me what you have planned?” She inquisitively asks from him, one eyebrow arched and her arms crossed. She’s wearing a pair of leggings of black leggings, a plain white t-shirt and a black and red flannel tied around her waist. Jon wonders to himself how she could look so amazing in everything. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gives her a big smile, and pulls out two tickets from his back pocket. “Two tickets to the Winterfell carnival!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dany’s eyes grow wide and her smile matches his as her entire face seems to have brightened up even more so than it already has. “Really?” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yup! And we’re going right now, so I hope you’re ready,” he tells her. Dany nods, and steps in front of her door to lock it before walking with him to his car. They get to his car with Jon, being the gentleman he was raised to be, makes sure to open the passenger door for her to walk and closes it as she’s settled, before giving a light jog to the driver’s side. Then, they’re on the road. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve only ever been once,” Dany says to break the silence as he drives onto the freeway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon keeps his eyes on the road, but he’s sure his expression is that of a shocked and surprised one. “Are you kidding?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Nope. I think my brother won me a fish from one of the games.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon can hear the sadness underneath her words and the way she mentions her brother, and he blindly reaches over to take her hand and lightly squeeze it. He hates hearing how she’d never gotten the chance to have a normal childhood. No child should ever have to experience the amount of sadness and loneliness that she experienced, least of all Dany. Her childhood may not have been one of happiness and normality, but Jon vows to do the best he can to make up for it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never knew Winterfell had carnivals before,” Dany states. Jon can tell she doesn’t want to dwell on the previous subject, and he’s more than okay with moving the topic along. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Well, they only started holding them annually about three years ago, so it’s still relatively new.” From the corner of his eye, he can see Dany nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon, they arrive at the fairgrounds and manage to find a good parking space despite there being obviously a lot of people. They walk together to the ticket booth at the entrance and turn their tickets in. As soon as they walk inside, Jon sees as Dany’s face looks to be in awe as she looks around at all the fun music playing, the cheering from the people playing carnival games and the bright, blinding lights. He thinks she looks so innocent and he swears to himself to make sure that this time will be a happy and memorable one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It seems that she found where she wanted to start first as she takes Jon by the hand to what looks to be the infamous balloon dart game. He smiles at her and takes his wallet out, paying for a round. He stands back to let Dany have her turn, seeing as she had chosen this game. With almost little to no effort, she manages to shoot all three darts into a balloon, and the bells from the game booth go off, signifying a winner. Jon crosses his arms and smiles, looking impressed and shocked at his girlfriend. He was sure nearly all carnival games were rigged, but on her very first time, Dany had somehow managed to win already. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s my girl. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guy in charge of the game allows her to choose a prize of her choice, and it takes her a second to choose, before she finally settles on an adorable wolf plushie. She turns back around to him, biting her lower lip and extending the little wolf to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon arches an eyebrow at her. “But you won it,” he says, confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dany shakes her head. “I won it for you. I thought it’d be pretty romantic if I won you a prize from a carnival game. I read about it somewhere.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon looked at her, his heart incredibly touched at her actions. He takes the plush from her with a kiss. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gods she’s amazing.</span>
  </em>
  <span> They pull away and walk hand in hand exploring what this fair had to offer. He leads her to the food area, where they try a couple different things. Jon finds out that Dany absolutely detests caramel apples on a stick because she hates caramel in general, and that her new favorite snack might be funnel cakes with vanilla ice cream on top, judging from the way she ate almost the entire cake that they were supposed to share. They continue walking some more, and whenever he has the chance, Jon secretly snaps a picture of her. Although they aren’t that secret because she always catches him take them and rolls her eyes. He tells her it’s because he never wants to forget this memory of and with her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All their walking leads them to a game booth that has Dany stopping in her tracks and letting go of his hand. Jon looks to see just what she’s looking at, and he follows her line of vision, to see that she’s staring right at a huge red and black dragon plushie. He can tell just from the size of it that it was the grand prize. Jon turns to get a better look at just what the game that must be played is in order to win it for her. He swallows heavily when he sees that it’s the damn fish bowl game. He knew for a fact that this game was absolutely rigged. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, I can do it. Do it for Dany.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He whispers the mantra to himself as he hands the man in charge of the game some cash for three rounds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, ladies and gentlemen, we have here a brave young man willing to try this very difficult game!” The man shouted to absolutely no one in particular. “Now, young man, all you have to do is shoot each ball into a bowl with the plastic fish. If you can do that, you win our grand prize, The Dragon!” The man overdramatized. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind him, he can hear Dany whisper. “Jon, you don’t have to do this. C’mon, let’s keep walking.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head. He knows he has to win this for her. The look on her face told him that this was absolutely necessary. So instead, Jon hands her the wolf plushie to hold onto and gets into a ready stance. He brings the first ball to eye level, making sure to aim it </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>right so that it would land in one of the bowls with a fish. Once he’s sure about his aim, he throws the ball lightly so it won’t bounce off the rims of the glass. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Three, two, one… </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And he makes it in!” The game operator shouts out loud. Jon’s eyes are wide open as he didn’t expect to make it in. But he tells himself he can’t celebrate just yet since he still has two more left to shoot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He follows the same strategy as the first time and lines up the ball with a fish bowl, making a couple mock throws to estimate where the ball would land. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Three… two… one… </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once again, ladies and gentlemen, he’s managed to throw a second ball in!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon can feel his heart pounding as he realizes he only has one more ball left to throw. He throws a glance back to Dany, who looks at him with a worried smile. He gives her a comforting smile back before turning back to the game at hand. He only has one more, and if he makes it in, he’ll win Dany that dragon. He returns to his ready stance, eyeing the fish bowl that’s right in the center. He tries not to focus on the small crowd of people beginning to watch him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why can’t they look at someone else? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The game operator then dramatically bends down by the back, and talks in a low voice. “Alright folks, he only needs one more shot in to win the grand prize. Will he be the first player to ever win the fish bowl game? Will this young man be able to win the ultimate grand prize? Players always mess up on the last shot, but-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon breaks out of his stance to give the man a sharp look, which basically tells him to ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>please be quiet because he cannot focus’.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The man takes the hint and immediately stops talking, letting Jon focus. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He breathes deeply in and out, making sure to line up the ball just exactly in line with the fish bowl in the middle. He holds his breath and tosses the ball and… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aaaand we have a winner! Congratulations young man, you’ve won yourself the grand prize!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The crowd around him explodes into cheers and smiles as the operator hands him the huge dragon that’s almost nearly as big as him. Jon nods and smiles politely at a few people who are telling “good job!” or “wow you are so good!”. With the dragon in hand, he walks back to the very woman he won it for, who’s standing a few feet away, biting her lip and they exchange plushies. Dany manipulates the dragon until it’s out of her way and toward the side before kissing him square on the lips, locking him in with her arms around his neck as he snakes his own around her waist. He feels her nails begin to scratch the bottom of his scalp as they both drink each other in, uncaring of the other people around them for a few moments. When they eventually pull away, he rests his forehead on hers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” she says, her cheeks slightly flushed with a light pinkish-red. He kisses her one last time, but keeps short. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course. You know I’d do anything for you.” He gets a breathy laugh in return but she smiles quite bashfully anyways. Then, he takes the free hand of hers that isn’t holding the huge plushie and holds it as they walk around once more. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I feel kinda bad. You won me this huge dragon and I only got you something small,” she says out of nowhere as they walk past the House of Mirrors attraction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He frowns at her self-deprecating comment and tugs gently on her hand. “Hey, size doesn’t matter,” he says, trying to keep his face straight, but he follows her as Dany snorts and starts chuckling at his not-intended innuendo. He smiles and shakes his head at himself. “But seriously, it doesn’t. I don’t want you to feel bad. I’m going to treasure this wolf just as much as I treasure Ghost. And plus, no girl’s ever tried to win me something like that before, so it  only makes it better in my eyes.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Maybe he’s imagining it, or maybe it’s all the lights around them, but he swears he can see her eyes sparkle with tiny little golden flecks in them and gods, if he doesn’t fall in love with her even more in that moment. His sappy (but true) words manage to convince her, and she stands on her tip-toes to press a soft kiss on his cheek before moving forward again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After all they’re walking around the fair, they finally come across the towering ferris wheel, and Jon knows that the only proper way to end this night would be to ride it with her. So he pulls her to the line, which, thankfully, isn’t too terribly long. When it’s finally their turn to get in a pod, they somehow manage to squeeze in Dany’s dragon with them, and still leave some space for them. But it seems the extra space is unnecessary, as she sidles closer to his side, prompting him to wrap an arm around her to keep her closer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ride to the top is a slow process, as is expected, but they enjoy their private time with each other anyways. She’s resting her cheek on his shoulder, and he’s absent-mindedly running his finger up and down her arm as he lets himself relax. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for bringing me. And for making it a good time.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looks down at her and she looks up at him, her cheek never leaving his shoulder as he presses a kiss to the top of her head. “I only brought you. You made it a good time.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She laughs softly and says quietly “Just take the compliment”, so he does. Their hands intertwine with each other, and he smiles as their tattoos touch each other. Jon would be ridiculous if he said he always knew they’d find their back to each other, because at some point in time, he had thought they wouldn’t. Then, he notices something on her left hand glint, which he picks up to inspect. He smiles immediately when he sees the familiar ring on her hand, the one he’d gifted to her so long ago. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The promise ring.</span>
  </em>
  <span> His heart twinges at the revelation that she’s still kept it after all these years. A tattoo removal was different, he understood that, but to get rid of a small piece of jewelry was something so easy to do. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yet she didn’t.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It would’ve been easier if she had thrown it away, a way of moving on, but here she sat, the ring still looking as it had the day he bought it for her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if she could read her mind, she explained. “I always kept it. Maybe, a long time ago, it would’ve been better to throw it away, but I just couldn’t. So I hid it, but I always had it. I took it out the other day ago and started wearing it. I wear the dragon necklace on special occasions,” she finished with a smile that matches his own. Her eyes seem to ask a question that her lips don’t speak, but he knows what it is. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon lifts her hand to his lip and presses a kiss to the ring on her finger before speaking. “I have mine at home. I couldn’t get rid of it either. I wanted to start wearin’ it, but I didn’t know if you still had yours, and…” he didn’t finish his sentence but he knew that Dany understood what he was trying to say. She nodded, confirming she knew. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well you should start wearing it then,” she suggests, turning her head to press a kiss on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aye, I will. I promise, as soon as I get home, I will.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s silent again between them as they near the top, and watch the view of the carnival. Today had been a long and boring day at work, but his time with Dany at the carnival had been so enlightening and happy. For the first time in so many years since they broke up, his heart feels like bursting from the amount of joy he feels. His heart beats so incredibly fast around her, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>gods</span>
  </em>
  <span>, when she laughs and smiles it feels like he can die in peace. He knows, the moment they got back together, that he would do anything to make sure that all she ever feels is true happiness. He understood her completely when she asked to take their relationship slow. He too agreed that they’ll both do whatever they can to make sure that this new relationship between them goes right this time. He’d made it a personal oath to himself to always tell her the truth and be fully honest with her. He would never make the same mistake he did again. He lost her once and he never plans on losing her ever again. He thinks to himself that Dany is his now, and it's his job to make sure she’s happy. He wants to believe that this time, he’ll finally be able to fulfill his promise he made to her uncle so long ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They finally make it to the top of the ferris wheel and they overlook the entire carnival from the top. Dany looks over to appreciate the beautiful view from so high up, but Jon doesn’t particularly care to look at the same thing. Instead, he leans back to look at the beautiful view that is right next to him, whose face is absolutely beautiful and glowing. Jon can feel his heart constrict tightly as he looks at her. Her lips are parted ever so slightly and her eyes are wide open. If anyone had ever told him just a year ago that he’d be back together with her, he would think them absolutely insane and insensitive as well for making such a joke. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was still pretty early on in their relationship and they agreed to go slow for now, but he thinks to himself that </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>, this is the woman he knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with. He knows that it is Dany, and Dany only he could imagine loving for as long as he lives. They haven’t been dating for long yet, but every moment he spends with her feels as if they never left each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, at that moment, she looks at him excitedly, ready to tell him something, but pauses as Jon looks at her with so much intensity. He doesn’t hesitate to cup the side of her face and tilt her head to kiss her, and he thinks that it can’t be just a coincidence that their lips fit so perfectly against each other. It’s a slow but passionate kiss and he hopes that she can feel the love he’s trying to convey. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, they pull away, and Dany cuddles closer to him, their noses rubbing against each other as they breathe the same air and he caresses her cheek. He’s had his doubts and worries of whether or not they’d last this time, if this second chance was only going to end with them both hurting again. But it’s moments like these that makes Jon believe that they’ll heal from the pain and the past. It wasn’t too terribly long ago he was cursing the gods for bringing her back into his life and making him watch her be happy with someone else, but now, he thanks every single possible deity out there for bringing her back to him, and may the gods help whoever tries to take her away from him again. This beautiful, witty and strong woman that was his now and his only. And he’ll do anything to keep her that way. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry if that beginning note sounded a bit aggressive. I'm kind of just done with all the hate. Bring it on I guess. I'm slowly (no very quickly) getting into THG series since I cannot seem to put the books down. I'll still finish this fic, my love for Jonerys still burns quite brightly, but it's nice to have a distraction from the happenings of this fandom and the certain people that plague it. I know I'll still be getting hate from some people, despite the clear warnings and what not, but whatever I guess. I don't know exactly why they're reading a fan fiction if they don't know how to read a tag. </p><p>Thank you for the kind receptions of the first chapter. Next chapter will probably be up around Saturday again.</p><p> </p><p>-Chapter Title-<br/>Song: “Hesitate” by the Jonas Brothers</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. We’ve come so far my dear, look how we’ve grown</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dany returns the favor to Jon with a picnic</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello! apologies for the slow/late updates, things have been a bit slow in terms of my motivation to write lately, not because of anything bad that's been said, but I've just been kinda "bleh" if that makes any sort of sense lmao. anyways, I hope you like this chapter</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So when are you planning on selling it?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Missy was over at Dany’s apartment sitting on her couch as Dany was packing some food in her kitchen. Missy picked at some imaginary lint, looking up expectedly at Dany, who shrugged. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not really sure. Once I find a different one that’s good enough. He hasn’t even picked up all his things yet, and I’m getting really close to just throwing them all away.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>He</span>
  </em>
  <span> being Daario, who’d been quite slow picking up all his possessions. It annoyed Dany quite a bit. She was honestly ready to start apartment searching, but she couldn’t do so just yet. Work had been taking up most of her time that she never found the right time to look at apartments in person. She’s definitely been surfing the web for it for a while now, but none of them seemed to fit her needs. They were all either sketchy looking, or way too far from her law firm’s building. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s like he’s purposely trying to find a reason to stay.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany nodded, agreeing somewhat with Missy. “If he keeps it up, I’ll give him more reasons to leave.” Her deadpanned statement received a snort from Missy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You should set Jon on him, that’d be interesting to watch,” Missy suggested, giving a sly smirk. Dany turned back around to shoot a pointed look at her before shaking her head and laughing softly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not going to ‘set’ my boyfriend on an ex like a cat chasing a mouse, Missandei. Besides, Jon has his own stuff to worry about too. I can handle Daario on my own.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess you’re right. How are you and Jon doing anyways?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Despite just mentioning his name, Dany couldn’t fight the warmth flooding her cheeks, and she kept her back turned to Missy until it subsided. “We’re doing… good.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Missandei narrowed her eyes at her, her voice turning serious. “You hesitated. Are you sure? Dany, if he’s doing something wrong you need to tell me.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany smiled at her friend’s worry, but waved it off. “We’re doing good, Missy, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span>, we are. He’s been very good to me.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How good?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Like, dream guy kinda good?” Dany’s voice lifted as she tried to make the analogy. “He surprised me with tickets to the carnival last week, and we had a great time. He’s been very respectful and kind. We’ve been taking things slow for now, and he’s just been great.” Dany felt like she could go on for </span>
  <em>
    <span>days</span>
  </em>
  <span> describing just how good Jon has been to her, but she felt like it wasn’t something Missy wanted to listen to for days. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Missy gave a warm, wide smile, standing up to stand near Dany. “I’m really happy for you then, Dany. You deserve nothing less than that.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Dany smiled as well. “He makes me remember the days when we were teenagers, when we didn’t really care much about anything else but us, but at the same time, it also feels different, like we’ve changed enough to learn from our mistakes.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I absolutely cannot wait to be your matron of honor at your guys’ wedding.” Missy stated after, smiling cheekily at Dany who looked at her shockingly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Missy! I said we’re taking things slow right now!” She jokingly scolded her best friend. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, whatever you say. Anyways, what are you even doing?” She asked, referring to all the food that Dany was packing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m taking Jon on a picnic,” she explains simply, closing the tupperwares of food she’ll be bringing with her. She did her best to pretend to not notice the cheeky smile Missy was throwing at her. Eventually, she dropped it, but stayed near. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“When do you two think you can have dinner with me and Grey again?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Dany hummed, trying to think. “I’m not really sure yet, why?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Missy shrugged. “I just think it’d be fun to do again. Especially since you and Jon are official now. And there’s something I have to tell you.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Dany frowned, wondering if it was something bad. “Is it anything good?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, it is. I think it’d be pretty exciting actually.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It eased Dany’s worries, but she still wasn’t quite sure of her and Jon’s schedules as of yet. “Well, I’m not really sure when we can go out at night, but I’ll talk to him when I bring him these.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Missandei nodded, and even offered to help Dany finish up gathering what she needed for this picnic. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany stood in front of Jon’s door, knocking excitedly as she waited for him to open up. When he didn’t answer, she knocked again, frowning as she wondered whether he was at work right now or not. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He said he was off today.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A few seconds later however, she heard the lock on the door latch open, and the door followed, showing a surprised Jon with his signature messy curls and glasses on. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dany? What’re you doing here?” He asked her, confusion etched on his face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of answering, she deflects with another question back at him. “Are you busy?” Gods if he was then her entire plan would be ruined.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Not really, why?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well then get dressed, because I wanna take you somewhere. Just wear something casual.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany doesn’t allow any room for Jon to protest as she ushers him back inside his condo, shoo-ing him into his bedroom to get ready. She tries to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling at how confused he is, but he allows her to gently push him into his bedroom to get ready. She stayed in his living room, waiting for him to finish, when Ghost comes running at her, his ears perked up and his tail wagging wildly as he pushes his head into her hand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, hello you baby boy!” Dany coos at him, rubbing behind his ears just as she learned how he likes it. Sure enough, Ghost tilts his head, exposing more of his neck for her to rub. “Do you wanna come with me and your daddy? Oh of course you do! Come on Ghost,” she stands up just as Jon emerges from his bedroom. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Much to Dany’s delight, he’s decided to dress himself in a pair of dark jeans and a plain black t-shirt. It was one of her new favorite things that she discovered, seeing Jon wear clothes that seemed to be just a size or two small on him. Though of course, she’s never told him that. She allows herself a second or two to let her eyes appreciate how good (and hot) her boyfriend looks.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Boyfriend</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she says in her mind with a giddy smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t seem to notice her staring, which Dany finds interesting. She can’t help but recall how before, he relished in the feeling of knowing that girls were watching appreciating how good he looks. Now, he doesn’t even notice and instead asks her “So, you tellin’ me where we’re going?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Nope. It’s a surprise. But we are taking Ghost.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He arches an eyebrow at her. “Oh, are we?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Of course we are! Look at him! We can’t leave him. And besides, he’s going to love the place we’re going to.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Jon nods his head, trusting her, so he goes to get Ghost’s leash, and once they have everything, they walk to Dany’s car. They drive for a few minutes, and soon, they find themselves right in front of Winterfell’s Park– his family’s park. She looked excitedly at him, waiting for his reaction. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looks confused, slowly turning his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “What exactly do you have planned?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany shrugged happily. “You’ll see.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She exits out of the driver’s side, and to the backseats, getting Ghost out of the car as well as the picnic basket, which catches Jon’s attention. She takes his hand, holding the basket in the other hand and handing Ghost’s leash to Jon’s free hand, and leads her two boys down the path until they get to </span>
  <em>
    <span>their </span>
  </em>
  <span>tree.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They stop right in front of the weirwood tree, and Dany feels like it’s been forever since she’s been here, but eight years later, it still looks the same. The trunk of the tree and the branches were still as white as the snow that falls in the wintertime. The leaves that hung off of it were still as bright and red as ever, most likely the spring season around it making it glow to her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Turning shy all of a sudden, Dany turns to look at Jon, who’s looking at the weirwood tree with a look she couldn’t quite name or place. Quitely, she asks, “Do you remember?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He doesn’t respond for a few seconds, still looking at the tree. Then, he looks slowly at her, a smile growing slowly on his face, and takes her face and connects their lips, and Dany takes this as a sign that </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he does remember. When they break away, he doesn’t release her face just yet, instead resting his forehead on hers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How could I forget? I took you here on our first date. Why are we here?” He asks her with a confused smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wanted to take you out. Think of it as a way of saying thanks for taking me to the carnival.”  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t need to thank me for that, but anything as long as I get more time with you.” He bumped their noses gently to emphasize his last words.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany tried to bite back the smile that, ignoring the heavy beating of her heart at his words as they broke apart to set up their little picnic. Jon offered to take the blanket and spread it out for them, whilst Dany took charge of taking out their food. As excited as Ghost was, he was very obedient too, and stayed sitting right where his owner told him to stay. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They ate and talked the whole afternoon, not caring one bit about anything else except for that moment with each other. Their talks ranged from laughing and smiling at the little children running through the park and Ghost trying to sneak some food without them noticing, to other things such as their friends and Jon’s family. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think you should come over and eat with us some time,” he started, setting aside his bottle of water to look at her. They both laid on the blanket similarly, facing each other with their elbows propping up their body’s weight. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany’s eyes widened slightly at his suggestion. “Are you sure? You don’t think it’s too early or anything?” It wasn’t that she was complaining, far from it actually. Since she heard about how the Starks were doing from Robb when they had their drinks together, she was quite curious to see them again. Even though it had been Dany to suggest they go slow, she wanted Jon to decide as well whether they wanted to do something together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He blinked, trying to think about it, then slowly shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, they already know you. And I may have told them we were back together again so now they’re super excited to see you again,” Jon rushed out his last sentence, bashfully hanging his head low. They hadn’t really spoken of when they would ‘officially’ people. They’d just let their friends find out when they did. But most especially, they hadn’t discussed telling Jon’s family yet, but it wasn’t like Dany forbade him from doing so. He was more than welcome to tell his family about them if he so chooses. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany couldn’t fight the smile that found its way to her face. “Really?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He nodded. “They all can’t wait to see you, Dany,” he told her, sincerity apparent in his voice. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well then tell them I can’t wait to see them too.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So would dinner at the end of the week be okay for you?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Her left eyebrow arched itself as he proposed dinner to her. “You’ve been planning this?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Jon gave a laugh out loud, leaning back so he laid on his back on the blanket completely. “Aye, well they’ve been pesterin’ me since I told them.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She laughed as well, joining him on her back on the blanket. His arm curled and found its way underneath her, pulling her closer to him as they cuddled on the blanket underneath the leaves of the tree. For a minute they laid there, looking up at nothing in particular as the weirwood tree’s leaves shaded them from the sun, when she realized she’d yet to answer him. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I’d love to have dinner with your family at the end of the week, Jon.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They’ll be very happy to hear that.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She laced their hands together, silence falling between them again. Dany smiled to herself as she noticed he’d put on his ring again, matching hers. To others, perhaps they were just small pieces of jewelry, but to them, they were such important symbols that held incredible sentimental value. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She also took this quiet time to reflect on her past, more specifically, her time growing up. She remembered the difficult times when she’d been young and had to juggle between taking care of her Uncle, doing school, and managing most of their apartments’ needs. She’d grown up believing they were poor, and had little to spend on things that weren’t vital. Looking back, she was both grateful and slightly upset at her Uncle’s choices. Slightly upset because he could have used at least a small portion of her trust fund to support them even better, so that they didn’t have to struggle as much. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But in the end, Dany was also grateful, because had she grown up knowing she had plenty to spend, she feared she would have been one of those girls that Jon used to associate himself with. The rich, snobby girls who believed themselves to be better than everyone else. Instead, she’d grown up humble, and was taught the value of working hard, spending wisely, and being selfless. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her self reflection finally coming to an end, she peered up at Jon, who seemed lost in a whole other world in his mind, just as she’d been a few seconds ago. She wanted to know just what he was thinking of in that head of his that was covered with his thick, beautiful dark curls. Maybe it was similar to what she was thinking of, or something completely different. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He probably noticed her staring at him as he brought himself back to their present, looking down at her with a smile. His other hand, the one that didn’t hold hers, combed its way through her way, brushing it out in a way that almost made her want to sleep because of how gentle and soft he was. Her eyes fluttered close, and when she opened them again, he still looked at her, with a look so strong it made her insides feel like a jumbled, melting mess. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop looking at me like that,” she playfully told him, making sure her tone was light so he wouldn’t take it so seriously. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Like what? Like I’m absolutely in love with you?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>She rolled her eyes at his sappy comment, but blushed nonetheless. She wondered how such a man like Jon, who she’d once believed to be so cocky and arrogant, then turned so quiet and sometimes even moody, could be such a cheesy sweetheart who had such a way with words that it melted her heart. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, you came at just the right time. Before you came, I was about to lose my mind over work,” he admitted, which grabbed her attention. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She sat up a bit, frowning at him. “You said you weren’t busy,” she restated his words. Had she been wrong to bring him here and interrupt him?</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He only shrugged slightly, dismissing her doubts. “I’ll always make time for you.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <em>
    <span>There it was again,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought. His sweet words that could very well get him out of anything. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Almost anything.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She responded to his sappy comment with a playful eyeroll and a smile in place, and leaned back down on the blanket. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed contently. Doing things like this with him made her forget the stresses of work and the reality of life, and sometimes even brought back the nostalgia from their days as kids, where they didn’t have to care as much about the things that they do now. Never would she have thought over a month ago that she’d now be here, in the middle of a park curled up with Jon Stark again. It filled her with a strange sadness to think that if things had gone differently, she’d be married to another man, and she wouldn’t be able to enjoy moments like these. Would Jon have moved on and found someone else? Would he have enjoyed moments like these with another woman? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Stop that.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dany scolded herself for thinking such thoughts. Those were the kind of things that plagued her mind in high school. She couldn’t allow such silly fears and doubts to torture her now. They were different, </span>
  <em>
    <span>better</span>
  </em>
  <span> than they were then. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Out of nowhere, almost as if Jon had been reading her thoughts, he turned to her, their hands releasing so that she was enveloped in both of his arms, then buried his head in her hair. “I’m so fucking glad you’re mine, Dany,” he whispered to her almost assertively.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His voice was almost raspy and hoarse it sent a tingle running down her spine, and she wondered what he had been thinking of previously. Had it been the same thing she was thinking? She figured it might have been along the same lines for him to say it in such a proprietorial way. Nevertheless, she squeezed him back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad you’re mine too, Jon,” she whispered back. And she meant it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it was such a childish and immature thought, but Dany wondered if they could just stay </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span> for a thousand years, </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span> being in each other’s arms in the peacefulness and beauty of the park. It was definitely a childish thing to think, as they were both adults who worked hard and demanding jobs and had responsibilities that they needed to take care of, but the thought was almost just as nice to think of and imagine. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe we can’t stay a thousand years, but we’ll at least have each other for the rest of our lives.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was with this thought that Dany hoped with her entire soul and body that she would at least be right in that way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so I have up to 10 ish chapters laid out, but as I said, motivation is kinda lacking for me right now lol, but nobody needs to worry, this story will never be abandoned, I will see to it that it ends on a good note. a few people have been asking about whether we'll be getting to some domestic fluff here, and I can say that Yes, we will be eventually. Jon and Dany just need to build up their relationship first because yes, while they're not necessarily new to each other and dating, its a whole different situation now, so their trust and all that needs to be built up. </p>
<p>Also, I think I need to clear up that the Daario part in the beginning was really just some way for me to add more dialogue in. He will NOT be coming back to this story as far as I can see, and he most definitely will not be stirring trouble for Jon and Daenerys. He is not important to this storyline anymore, so please calm yourselves if you freaked out at that.</p>
<p>I think the next chapter will be out around Saturday again. Sorry! I know it's kind of a late/long period but I'm doing my best to do one at least once every week. I've kinda been doing a lot more reading fics than I have writing my own (Everlark ftw that's all I'm gonna say haha). Also, I now have summer work to be doing so that kind of takes up my time as well. I hope you guys are all doing well and staying safe!</p>
<p>Next Chapter: Dany has dinner with the Starks (round 2)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-Chapter Title-<br/>Song: “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. It’s in the shadow places you first see the light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Starks meet Dany– again.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! It's been a while, a full month, actually. I'll say more in the notes at the end. Just getting back into the groove of writing so, sorry if things feel a bit off. I kinda just wrote until it was finished yikes. This was definitely a bit rough, but it's finally posted</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wait– are you absolutely, positively sure about this? What if it doesn’t end well?”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <span>“They already know you, Dany. They’re brimming with excitement over seeing you again, I cannot think of a situation where this ends bad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon pinched the bridge of his nose lightly as he exhaled a steady breath. He was currently at his house–his </span>
  <em>
    <span>parent’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> house– waiting for Dany to arrive. Unfortunately, his girlfriend had grown a bit doubtful several minutes before she was due to arrive. She had been quite excited, his whole family really, the whole week leading up to this dinner. And if Jon was being honest with himself, he was quite excited for this too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re right, you’re right, I’m acting like a teenager. I’m worrying over nothing. Okay, I think I’m okay. I’ll see you soon.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See you,” he ended their call with a smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jon!” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Seven hells–” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jon jumped. He turned around, only to find Arya smiling innocently at him. He was about to seat himself on a chair in their front entrance room, when Arya popped up out of nowhere. Well–not exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>nowhere. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It seemed like one of the things that Arya’s picked up on during college was the ability to move like a mouse, hardly making any noise and being able to sneak up on people without them noticing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His little sister was visiting them in Winterfell for a couple weeks before flying back over to Braavos. And while he was super happy for her to be visiting them for a bit, he could really do without the whole ‘sneaking-up-on-people’ thing that she seems to have picked up on. She may be twenty-one years old now, but that fact didn’t stop Arya from trying to fool with her brothers, her older ones especially.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you to stop doing that Arya,” he gently scolded her, but his heart wasn’t really into the scolding, something that she noticed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” she snickered and smirked, in an obviously non-apologetic tone. “Was that Dany?” She asked, nodding her head towards his phone in hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon nodded. “Aye, she’ll be here soon enough. Is everything ready?” He asked her, in reference to the dinner that is currently being prepared. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup. Mom just finished the last dish.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded again. “Okay, well why don’t you go help them get ready. I’ll wait for Dany.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Arya nodded and started making her way back to the kitchen when Jon stopped her one last time. She turned around, eyebrows raised in question. He smirked and told her:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you go scare Sansa?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was less of a question, and more of a suggestion, which Arya took all the same. She smirked back at him, laughing as she wandered off into the hallway, no doubt his suggestion fresh in her mind. Jon chuckled to himself. Almost all of his siblings were adults now, the only exception being Rickon, who was only sixteen years old. But their ages didn’t stop them from playing the occasional prank or game on one another every now and then when they could. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then, he got a text from Dany, a one word message, followed by the sound of the doorbell ringing through their house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p><b>Dany:</b> <em><span>Here!</span></em></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He got up from his chair and eagerly opened the front door for her. There she stood on his front porch, looking like every bit the ethereal angel he believed she was. She was dressed in a light blue sleeveless blouse paired with some jeans and ankle high boots. It was just a casual look, far from her business attire she wore to work everyday, yet somehow, someway, Dany always made whatever she wore like she belonged on the fashion runway. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gods, she’s just really that beautiful.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Not for the first, nor tenth time even did Jon think himself to be such an incredibly lucky man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow… you look beautiful,” he told her exactly what he had just been thinking of, and he was glad he did so too, as his compliment earned him one of her cute little blushes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well hello to you too,” she joked, before shaking her head at herself and saying “But thank you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon smiled at her, leaning down to give her a quick peck on her lips. He invited her inside the house, shutting the door behind her. “You ready?” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She dropped her arms down to her side, blowing out a puff of air. “I guess I am. Can’t really turn back now.” But before he could take her to the kitchen and living room, where most of his family were located, she leaned into him and whispered. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I forgot you lived in a castle.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him at her observation. “I wouldn’t say this is a castle exactly.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“No? You know, when I first came here all those years ago, I swear I thought you were some sort of secret prince.” Her eyes seemed to be scanning around his house, most likely trying to recall when she’d last been here. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled at her again. “Sorry to disappoint you ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>my queen’</span>
  </em>
  <span> but there’s no secret princes in this house. At least– I’m pretty sure there aren’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She flashed him with one of her dazzling, bright smiles, the ones that never failed to make his heart thump just a bit harder. “You’re right,” her voice dropped down to something akin to a whisper. “There’s no secret princes here. Just a king. </span>
  <em>
    <span>My king.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon couldn’t shake off the wide grin on his face even if he tried as his arms encircled her waist and her arms went wround his neck. He sealed the distance between them with his lips on hers. Behind his neck, he could feel her hands tighten, scratching lightly the bottom of his scalp as they drank each other in, blissfully unaware of where they were at the moment and losing themselves in each other instead. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought.</span>
  <em>
    <span> And you’re my queen.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were interrupted when a loud, purposeful cough broke them apart. Standing there underneath the archway that led to the living room and kitchen was his brother Bran, in all his teenage slash adult phase glory raising an eyebrow at them both. He had glasses, similar to the ones that Jon wore himself, and a pair of wireless headphones hung around his neck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Dany broke apart, and he felt his cheeks flush slightly at being caught in an intimate moment with her by his younger brother. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi Bran! It’s so good to see you again,” Dany started first, smiling brightly at him. Bran had been pretty young when Dany first met his family, but Jon was sure he remembered just as she did him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He offered Dany a small smile and a wave. Bran was a bit more elusive and shy compared to the rest of his siblings, with Jon probably coming in second after him. But his shy and quiet nature did not do anything to hide the fact that he was getting taller and taller everyday. He was already taller than Jon and Robb, and was most likely well on his way to reaching their surpassing their father’s height. “Hi Dany,” then he turned to Jon, saying “Mom said dinner’s ready and asked if Dany was here already.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dany turned to him and they shared a look together. He sighed, and took hold of her hand with his. “We’re coming,” was all he told his not-so-little little brother, who nodded and retreated back to the kitchen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should go in now, before they eat everything,” he joked, earning him a small snort. But she nodded anyway, and they walked to the kitchen together. There, his family stood around the dining table, all talking about whatever it is they were discussing. But all conversation stopped as soon as Dany and Jon entered the room. It was Sansa, who practically beamed and almost ran to Dany first. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dany! Oh, it is so great to see you again!” She said excitedly, throwing her arms around Dany, causing him to have to release their joined hands. Dany smiled, and returned Sansa’s embrace happily. His little sister had become somewhat of a socialite in college, joining a sorority, being quite popular around her school in terms of social media and friends, and being a social butterfly in general. It was almost like his sister had turned into him when he was in high school, but that wasn’t a fair comparison. Sansa was still Sansa, not whatever arrogant bastard he thought was a good idea to become back in those days. Of course, he’d like to think he became somewhat of a better person when he met her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s so good to see you too, Sansa! Gods, you’ve really grown haven’t you?” Dany smiled gleefully at her as she beamed at the smaller woman. “I heard you’re studying law?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Sansa nodded quickly.”Yup! I am. I just feel like the lawyer profession just really calls me, you know?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Dany, being ever-understanding, nodded with a big smile. “I totally get you. Maybe we can sit down some time and talk more about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d love that.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They broke away from each other as Dany turned her attention to the other members of his family. She and Robb nodded at each other politely, not really feeling the need to do pleasantries with one another, seeing as they saw each other pretty frequently because of Jon’s work. Dany moved to Arya next, who stood next to Robb. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi Dany,” Arya started. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi Arya,” She returned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s good to see you again after so long. I’m surprised Jon managed to wrangle you back. How much did he pay you?” His youngest sister joked. Jon cut his eyes to her, glaring at the smaller woman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Arya!” He hissed, but didn’t really mean it seriously. Beside her, Robb did his best to suppress a chuckle, and Jon shot him a glare too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? I was just kidding,” she winked at him, nudging elbows with Dany who smirked at him. He shook his head at them both. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, the last of his siblings was Rickon, who had been around 8 years old when he first brought Dany here. He was now about sixteen years old, and was currently in the lanky teenaged boy phase of puberty. He and Dany only exchanged friendly and polite smiles, but that was it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After all introductions with his siblings were done, she turned to his parents at last, who smiled widely at her. Dany stepped forward, hand extended and ready to shake their hands politely when his father stepped forward and all but engulfed her in a gigantic hug, his arms practically swallowing her whole. When he released her, she stumbled slightly, but managed to regain her bearings. Then, she laughed, almost nervously, wondering what had just happened. Jon chuckled at his father’s overly friendly ‘re-introduction’ to her, but knew he meant well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t begin to describe how truly lovely it is to see you again, Daenerys,” his old man started. “Not to mention how much lovelier you’ve gotten over the years as well.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dany brought her hands down and smoothed down her outfit, smiling at him. “Thank you so much. It’s great to see you all again too.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>His mom stepped forward too, though their embrace was much more toned down than that with his father’s. “You look lovely as ever, Daenerys.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“So do you, Mrs. Stark,” she returned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Catelyn, please,” she corrected her. “Why don’t we start dinner?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The rest of his family all nodded, returning to their seats. Dany sat to the left of Jon and the right of Sansa, while sitting across from their parents as they began to ‘dig-in’ to their meals. It wasn’t until Jon took the first bite of his food that he realized how hungry he was, and soon, was gufling down his food similar to his younger siblings. To his left, he heard a small snicker, and turned, only to see Dany trying to cover a smile behind her napkin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something funny to you?” He raised an eyebrow at her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope. Everything tastes delicious,” she directed her appraisal of the food to his mom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, dear,” his mom nodded. Beside her, his father slowed his eating down, politely wiping his mouth with a napkin before asking Dany. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Dany, tell us about yourself. What have you been up to since we last saw you? We’ve heard it all from Jon, but we’d love to hear about it from you.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Dany’s head whipped to him as she narrowed her eyes at him. “You talked about me?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Jon raised his hands defensively. “They wanted to know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled at him before rolling her eyes and looking back at her parents. “Well, I guess things haven’t been too exciting, really. I moved to Dragonstone after graduation, got my degree and spent a year in Meereen. Then I got a job offer here in Winterfell and now I’m here.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jon snorted to himself, hiding it behind the glass of his drink. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dany would try to water down her accomplishments to the minimum. He admired her humbleness, he really did, but sometimes he wished she’d realize just how impressive she truly was–</span>
  <em>
    <span> is.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His parents nodded thoughtfully. “Jon told us you two met when Robb and Margaery visited Highgarden.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dany slowly cast a look that said </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘oh really?’, </span>
  </em>
  <span>to which he shrugged. To the other side of Sansa, Robb chuckled out loud. “Now tell them the real story.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Dany nodded and smiled at Jon, urging </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do it. He mocked a shocked and offended expression. “Me? Why me?” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You didn’t exactly tell them the truth the first time around, dear brother,” Robb smirked at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh fu-” He cut himself off after a glare from his mother. “Fine. We didn’t exactly meet like that. We met again after we ran into each other during our lunch breaks. That was the first time around. Then Robb and Marge had to leave so I took over Robb’s place for a while.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well isn’t that a cute ‘second chance at love’ story,” Arya deadpanned, looking at him amusedly. </span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dany was engaged when they met again,” Robb admitted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Robb!” He chastised his brother, who only snickered at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were getting married?” His mom asked Dany. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, well, I guess you could say that. It doesn’t really matter now. I realized he wasn’t the one for me.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Aww. I love a good romance story,” Sansa spoke up beside Daenerys. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold on, now I’m just confused,” his father interrupted them. “So how did you two get together then?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Dany looked to each other, silently asking with their eyes who wanted to explain their story to them. Dany decided to do it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was engaged at the time Jon and I met again. But we became friends and slowly got closer. I realized that I still had feelings for him and also grew some new ones too. This sounds so </span>
  <span>cliché, but I broke up with my fiancé the day of our wedding. We’ve been dating since then.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Around halfway through her short retelling, her hand had found its way to Jon’s underneath the table, and squeezed it lightly every now and then. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Way to make me feel single,” Sansa broke the silence, throwing her hands up dramatically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Way to make me lose my appetite,” Arya muttered, earning her an eye roll from Jon. Leave it to his younger sister to ‘balance’ things out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ignored their comments, instead facing his parents, who looked at him and Dany with almost a sort of wistfulness in their eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well isn’t that a beautiful story,” his mother remarked. “Makes you remember about our own young love, doesn’t it?” She turned to his father, who lifted her hand and pressed a soft kiss to it. Jon looked at his parents, then snuck a glance at Dany who was looking at them as well. He ached to have a love just like theirs one day, more specifically, with </span>
  <em>
    <span>her.</span>
  </em>
  <span> However, he kept that thought to himself for now, not wanting to potentially scare her away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, they broke away, turning their attention back to those at the table. This time, it was his father who spoke. “Sounds like a timeless, classic love story to me,” he smiled at them. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re very glad you were able to forgive Jon for his past mistakes.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dany smiles graciously at them, and Jon tries his best to do the same. But he can’t help but feel the tiny bit of nagging of guilt that sits in his stomach when his father mentions it. Dany must be able to sense it as well, because she turns to him, squeezing his hand again lightly and giving him a small, comforting smile and shake of her head. Without even talking about it, he knew it was her way of saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘don’t go there’. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The night continued on, as they all continued eating their meals, exchanging fun stories with each other. Main courses were swapped with dessert and sweets, and jokes were swapped with light teasing and fun. Regrettably, the night soon began to slow down, and he knew that they’ll have to leave soon. They all stood up, and Dany took her time hugging each of them and saying their goodbye’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you so much for coming over Dany. It was so great to see you again,” his mom said to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for having me. I look forward to seeing you all again,” she smiled and returned. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He walked her to the front door and out to her car, following her to her side of the car. “You gonna be okay getting home?” He asked her once they were alone outside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded, then bent down, capturing her lips with his. She sighed appreciatively, wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him the opportunity to wrap his own around her waist. They only parted when the need for oxygen became too great to bear, but even then, he pulled away just enough so that their foreheads were still touching. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, again, for coming today,” he told her, staring at those violet eyes he’s fallen in love with a dozen times over already. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for giving me the chance to see them again. I had fun.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I’m glad you did.” Once more, he kissed her again, though not quite as long as the first time. “I love you,” he told her once they parted. He swore her eyes seemed to sparkle and light up when he did. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, Jon Snow.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He smiled widely. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll never get tired of hearing that.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He pressed a quick kiss to the tip of her nose. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He backed away just enough so that she could climb into the driver’s seat of her car and turn on the ignition. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See you. I promise I won’t forget lunch this time.” She joked, earning her a short laugh from him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good. You better not.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She laughed aloud, giving him one last kiss. Jon’s entire face seemed to get sore as he realized how big his smile had been, even as she drove off the main driveway. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Updates won’t be quite as regular as before, but I won’t be taking as long of a break between each chapter. I’ve been taking a few summer classes online which has kept me pretty busy, along with a bunch of planning and just helping my family out. Not to mention that school is starting back up again. Fortunately I won't be going back in person quite yet, but I'll still be quite busy. </p><p>Thank you to all of you who have given me your support and kind wishes, they truly do mean a lot to me. I’m so thankful that there are still people who are willing to read whatever crap i write lol. It’s very uplifting to for me, especially as the Jonerys fandom is one of the toughest fandoms/ships to write for (or maybe not, i don’t know much about other ones lol, but that’s what i think). You might notice that chapters will tend to be a bit shorter than what they were once, but that’s just how it is. Constructive criticism not quite welcome here, please respect that.</p><p>Song Title: "In Time" by Kris Allen</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm still trying to find a happy medium between having a different feel to this story and something that is still a bit familiar to the first as well as trying to get back into the groove of writing this story again. Even if this is a continuation/ part 2 to the first one, it will be different because obviously, the plot is different here. It's almost all just going to be Jon and Dany's relationship and them getting closer, which will definitely have tons more fluff between them. If you wanted some angst, the first part has a quite a few.</p><p> </p><p>I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think of it. Next chapter should be up maybe Saturday. I hope you all are staying safe and and are doing well mentally, especially with what is going in the world right now.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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